HOW THE BORKS BECAME • New Paperback Edition

How the Borks Became, An Adventure in Evolution, written by me and illustrated by Elys Dolan, has just been published in paperback by Otter-Barry Books.

The book shows young children how evolution by natural selection works by following the evolution of successive generations of Borks, a fictional alien species who live on the faraway Planet Charleebob.

The Borks evolve from smooth-furred, short-necked, blue into shaggy, long-necked, yellow creatures.

"You see, Borks haven’t always looked as they do.
Their fur was once short and its colour was blue,"

The arrival of a huge flying predator - the Ravenous Snarfle – results in an evolutionary change.

"They were roaming this plain on a bright sunny day.
when a Ravenous Snarfle came flying their way."

Since the original hardback edition was published last year, the book has won the Best Early Years Book category of the STEAM Children's Book Prize which celebrates children’s books that highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths. And the Italian edition Perché noi Boffi Siamo Cosi?, translated by Lucia Feoli and published by Editoriale Scienza, was shortlisted for the prestigious Andersen Prize.

The book has also picked up many glowing reviews, including the two below from Booktrust and Teach Primary magazine.

"This fantastically funny tale combines humour, rhyming text
and wonderfully vibrant illustrations to present evolution
and natural selection in an accessible way."
BOOKTRUST

"Zany characters and joyous text combine into a thoughtful, lucid explanation of Darwin’s theory, so whether you’re a Y6 teacher starting this topic, or want to introduce younger children to the idea, there’s no better starting place."
TEACH PRIMARY

Here's a trailer I made for the book.

You can download and print out these activity sheets for the book by clicking on their images.

Spot the Difference

Wordsearch

And you can buy the new paperback edition at your local 'Borkshop" or by using one of the sales links below.

Find out more about the book on my website